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Edward VI: London Leaders

Sunday July 10th, 2011

Welcome back, Weekend Warriors—I trust all is going well with your international relocation plans? If not, please do call one of our London Relocation agents if our London relocation services may be of help. But to get on with our weekly British history lesson in case it’s of interest when you make your London move, last week I finished a 3-part series on King Henry VIII. Today, we’ll meet his only son and male heir, Edward VI. As we learned a couple weeks ago, Edward VI is born to Jane Seymour, one of the wives Henry VIII actually seems to care for. Sadly, she does not survive her son’s birth, but she does bring her husband great happiness in finally delivering a male heir to carry on the House of Tudor’s royal line. Edward is only nine years old when he becomes King of England in 1547, and he is rather sickly in body though strong in mind and faith. Prior to his death, Henry VIII had deemed that a council of regency would rule on behalf of his young son, but Edward VI‘s uncle, Edward Seymour (Duke of Somerset), thwarts that when the time actually comes—he instead installs himself as Edward’s protector. Together with the Archbishop of Canterbury and the pious young king, Seymour works to secure England as an officially Protestant state, issuing the Book of Common Prayer in 1549 to lay out the new mode of worship, a handbook that is further enforced by an Act of Uniformity.

The peasantry isn’t having it. They revolt against the prayer book and socioeconomic injustices. France also declares war against England at this time. John Dudley, Earl of Warwick, enters stage left to help suppress the rebellion and take down Edward Seymour as Protector; Seymour is arrested and executed. Dudley assumes his role in duty if not title—now the Duke of Northumberland, he effectively rules England and young Edward VI’s finances. He further promotes Protestantism with a 1552 Prayer Book and new Act of Uniformity that is even more strict; church territories are confiscated and religious imagery destroyed as the new orthodoxy is rolled out. Meanwhile, Edward VI is falling ill with tuberculosis. Dudley seizes the moment by getting Edward to agree to a new order of succession that bypasses his sisters Mary (daughter of Henry VIII’s first wife, Catherine of Aragon) and Elizabeth (daughter of Henry’s second wife, Anne Boylen) by declaring them illegitimate. He agrees to giving the throne to the Duke of Northumberland’s daughter-in-law, Lady Jane Grey. After battling illness his entire short life, Edward VI dies in 1553 at just under sixteen years of age.

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Henry VIII: London Leaders

Sunday July 3rd, 2011

Henry VIII, King of England – Image via Wikipedia

Author:  Colleen

Hello, Weekend Warriors! Time for our third and last installment on Henry VIII. Now that we’ve gotten all those distracting wives out of the way, I want to give a brief nod to this king’s other pursuits.

To start, the younger Henry VIII is actually an attractive man with much charisma. He is highly intelligent and writes books and composes music; before he grows obese in his later years, he is also athletic and fond of hunting, jousting, and tennis. Politically, I’ve previously discussed how he leads a successful campaign against the Scots in 1513 and an unsuccessful one against the French that nonetheless results in peace with them in 1520. We’ve also seen how he creates the Church of England so that he can finally divorce his first wife who couldn’t provide him a male heir, though his religious ideals still remain essentially Catholic—modifications to worship are slight, as opposed to a total theological overhaul. Nonetheless, his action is pivotal to England becoming a Protestant nation. Around this same time in the 1530s, Henry VIII is also responsible for uniting Wales and England.

Henry is a fairly extravagant spender, his two+ week meeting with the King of France in 1520 at the “Field of Cloth of Gold” costing a pretty penny, for one (this is an extravagant occasion of feasts, entertainment, and gift-giving, with tents and costumes made from cloth of gold, which is woven with silk and gold thread). He expands the naval fleet from 5 to 53 ships during his reign. And much money from the dissolution of England’s monasteries goes toward wars and strengthening aristocracy, leaving apparently not enough left over for when he goes after France again in the 1540s and requires forced loans and depreciated currency to finance it, increasing the country’s inflation.

All in all, Henry VIII‘s reign increases government bureaucracy and secures more absolute power for the monarchy. It is also characterized by his preoccupation with succession; having a male successor has been so critical because the Tudor dynasty is still fairly new (Henry VIII is only the second monarch to reign under it), and it’s thought that a queen might not sustain her power, especially if married to a foreign power who could then dominate rule. For all his fuss over obtaining a male heir, however, when Henry dies in 1547, all he leaves behind is one sickly son, Edward, and two daughters, Mary and Elizabeth.

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Henry VIII, King of England

Sunday June 26th, 2011

Hey there, hi there, ho there, Weekend Warriors! I hope your planning for your upcoming international relocation to London is going swimmingly and that you’re psyched for another installment of our weekend British history lesson. Last week, I introduced a monarch you might have heard of—Henry VIII, I believe? Today, let’s continue his story.

Last we saw, Catherine of Aragon has failed to give Henry VIII a male heir, so he seeks an annulment with her so he can marry the intriguing and hopefully fertile Anne Boleyn. The Pope’s refusal to grant this isn’t to deter Henry; he goes ahead and does what he wants in 1533 at the price of excommunication. At this point, let’s cue Mel Brooks: “It’s good to be the king.” Because when you’re king, you can change the law, and Henry VIII deems it high-time that he break with Rome, enstate himself as head of the Church of England, and dissolve England’s monasteries.

And is she worth it? Well…Anne gives Henry a daughter (Elizabeth I, the future Queen of England), but not the son he’d hoped for. And, Anne, quite frankly, he’s just not that into you anymore. So Henry decides to take the easy way out of marriage this time and simply have Anne convicted of adultery and treason, thereby sentenced to execution in 1536. Now that she’s out of the way, enter Jane Seymour, who does give Henry his desperately sought male heir (Edward VI) the following year. Jane, unforunately, doesn’t survive the birth, and so another of Henry VIII’s wives is laid to rest.

Next in line? Anne of Cleves in 1540, who he divorces within months. That same year, it’s Catherine Howard until 1542 when she, like Anne Boleyn, is executed for adultery and treason. The last one on the roster is Catherine Parr in 1543, who Henry sticks with until his death in 1547.

But Henry VIII’s reign is not all about the wives; he achieved much politically, so to not be remiss, I’ll continue with this king next week.

Related London sightseeing: Tower of London, where Anne Boleyn was executed, and Hampton Court Palace, where the Church of England was born in its Chapel Royal (beneath the altar of which are buried Jane Seymour’s organs, where it was believed the soul resides) and Catherine Howard’s ghost is rumored to haunt the hallway of her bedchamber.

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King Henry VIII

Sunday June 19th, 2011

Well, Weekend Warriors, it isn’t often that I’m addressing a monarch of England that is as commonly known as Henry VIII. Last week, we met his father, King Henry VII, who was the first of the House of Tudor to reign over England. As of 1509, however, we’re singin’ “Henry the Eighth I am”…Well, I mean, I’m not, and neither are you, and neither is Jonathan Rhys Meyers unfortunately, so let’s get down to who is this man…

Henry VIII and his father both outlive Henry’s older brother Arthur, which is why Henry VIII succeeds instead. And it’s not only the throne he inherits…he also gets Arthur’s widow, Catherine of Aragon. Throughout his first years as king, Henry VIII isn’t particularly hands-on when it comes to matters of state—he entrusts much of this to Cardinal Thomas Wolsey to allow the king himself more time for hunting and such. He does also enjoy engaging in war, though, so Wolsey is instrumental in arranging campaigns, such as against the Scottish in 1513 (victorious for England) and a costly battle against the French that proves unsuccessful.

Wolsey has served Henry VIII well to this point, until the king’s need for a male heir leads to a massive rift between the men. It is now 1533, and Catherine of Aragon, you see, has failed to produce Henry VIII a male heir. She’s given him one surviving daughter, however: Mary. Henry seeks Wolsey’s support in procuring a papal annulment so he can marry Anne Boleyn, but such is not to be. So, the king who in 1521 wrote a treatise denouncing Martin Luther’s views toward the Church—and was thereby awarded the title “Defender of the Faith” by the Pope—is now himself on the verge of a religious reformation of his own.

Join me next week as we see the birth of the Church of England and the death of some wives…

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Living in London – As English as…

Wednesday June 15th, 2011

One of the things most people struggle with when moving to London is adapting to day to day living. When you’re moving to London, you must try to push that concern to one side so that your enthusiasm for the big move isn’t dampened by your anxiety for how it could fail. I think what really helps to ease the transition is discovering something that you like about your new home. It really isn’t that hard (unless you’re determined not to find anything you’ll like).

My personal list of favorite things about living in London probably amount to all the clichés that I’ve discovered are truisms. I mean the kind of things you read about in books or see in movies and then come over here and you discover that it’s just the way you pictured it in your head.  Like bangers and mash.

It really does sound like the simplest meal ever, doesn’t it? And it is. It really is. But it’s also very tasty. And when you combine ‘simple cooking’ with ‘very tasty’ you get what is officially the top recipe on The Lazy Person’s List of Cooking. Honestly, it really doesn’t get much better than this. Get some bangers (sausages if you’re new to this English thing), potatoes, baked beans (you could try gravy if you wanted but I did say this was for lazy people) and bread. Fry up the sausages, cook the potatoes and mash them, put the baked beans into a pot, get them hot and toast the bread. Now, arguably speaking, that’s more of a sentence than it is a recipe. But, like I said, it’s very tasty.

And if you’re the lazy sort of person and if it’s been a particularly trying day at the office, you could do far worse than stopping at your local Tesco’s on your way home from work, picking up the necessary ingredients and heading home for some (All together now) Bangers and Mash! It might not be up there on the list of the most wholesome meals you could eat while living in London, but it’s quick, easy and very English.

 

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Living in London – Tea for Two!

Wednesday June 15th, 2011

Immersing yourself in fine English traditions can be a whole lot of fun when you’re living in London. When you’re moving to London one of the first English traditions that you have to experience is ‘Tea and Scones’. If you want to show off that you know a bit, call it a Devonshire Tea instead of just Tea and Scones (Or Cornish Tea). Cream Tea is another common name for this popular practice. Tea and Scones is the kind of thing that’s become so ingrained in the British culture that you could go to any tea room across Britain and be offered a proper English Tea with Scones. It’s also popular outside of Great Britain and you could go as far as South Africa and be able to be served a Cream Tea.

Here then are the best places in London to get a proper Cream Tea:

The Ritz – First of all, we’re talking about one of the oldest and most recognized hotels in the world. The Ritz isn’t so much a hotel as it is an institution. And much the same could be said of their Tea’s, with five sittings a day, from 11:30 to 7:30.

The English Tea Room, Brown’s Hotel – None more English Tea Room than this. This place comes with  specially wood-paneled rooms and a pianist offering some music,  all for that classic, “olde worlde” feel (they’ve done the same at the Ritz. Pianists really do add to that high tea feel!).

The Mandeville Hotel – This place is as traditional as they come. How traditional? When they serve the tea, it’s brought in blue china cups for the men and pink floral cups for the women. That’s how traditional.

The Savoy – Much like the Ritz, the Savoy is another London hotel that’s pretty much an institution.  Again like the Ritz, you’ll have someone tinkling the ivories just to give the setting some ambiance.

And lastly, because I have a major sweet-tooth, go to The Metropolitan. All the other places I’ve mentioned have a fine selection of cakes and sweet treats but when I saw a photograph of the offering at The Metropolitan, that was enough for me to call ahead and make a booking.

Moving to London and acclimatizing to your new home doesn’t have to be that hard, although you will pile on the pounds if you make afternoon tea a daily ritual!

 

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Living in London – The Big Move or The Big Easy?

Monday June 13th, 2011

Moving to London can be, as with moving to any new city, a daunting task. There’s the excitement that comes with moving to somewhere new, looking ahead to meeting new people, broadening the ol’ horizons. But then there’s also the worry of finding a suitable place to stay, the worry that you’ll struggle to adapt to your new home, having to figure things out so that you can do something as basic as go to the shops to get milk and sugar once you have moved into your new London apartment.

As with anything that comes with this much worry, the very best thing you can do is formulate a plan of attack, preparing in advance for whatever may lay down the road. No doubt, you’ll miss a few things and something might still pop up to spite your careful planning, but it’ll be far better than if you hadn’t planned at all.

I’m not about lay out a plan of attack that will suit your situation, because everyone has their own particular worries and concerns. But I am going to list a general inventory of things that should concern anyone intending on moving to London (or any city for that matter).

Where you’ll be staying – London is divided into dozens of areas. Decide what kind of area you want to stay in and investigate what home would suit your situation best.

Transport – you’ll need to get around, whether by train, tram, bus or your own steam. If you’ve found a home that suits your needs, consider how you’ll be getting to and from wherever you’ll need to go.

Do you have kids? – It’s the kind of thing that can add umpteen complications to an already complicated situation. Kids have needs, school not the least of them. If you’ve found an area that you want to move to, do you know if they have schools that can offer your kids what they need.

That’s just three points, but I think it’s already clear at this stage the kind of planning that needs to be put into moving to London. It all starts with doing as much research as you can…

 

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Henry VII, King of England

Sunday June 12th, 2011

Hi, Weekend Warriors! If you’re moving to London, we’re about to roll with another British monarch in this, our weekly British history lesson. Last week, we parted ways with Richard III so we can make way today for Henry VII.

As we come to the end of the War of the Roses between the York and Lancaster dynasties, Henry VII ushers in a new one: the house of Tudor. Henry, the closest Lancastrian claimant to the throne, had been living in exile in France from a young age because of all this family strife in England. After he takes the throne from Richard III in 1485, his marriage to Richard’s niece Elizabeth of York (also the daughter of Edward IV and sister of Edward V) unites the two sides of the conflict and consolidates support for the new king.

Henry VII is still on thin ice throughout his reign, however. He is constantly the object of conspiracy and must thwart a contesting claimant to the throne, one Perkin Warbeck. He does manage to strengthen his political foothold, though, with treaties with France, the Netherlands, and Scotland, and he betroths his eldest son Arthur to Spain’s Princess Catherine of Aragon.

Other positives in Henry VII’s favor include his avoidance of war (especially after the ongoing years of battle between the Plantagenet factions during the War of the Roses), streamlining government administration, and promoting trade, all of which lead England into a more modern state than previous feudal arrangements in medieval times. Things are quite stable when Henry VII dies in 1509—government and country are financially strong and relatively united.

Stay tuned next week when we meet Henry VII’s infamous heir to England’s throne, Henry VIII.

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Living In London – People and Personalities

Sunday June 12th, 2011

While you’re living in London and indeed even in your own country, you notice people and services that have been influenced, aided and developed by one of the most famous Londoner’s of all time. In fact, I’d go as far as to say that an entire part of our entertainment today has been influenced by this man. Without him, we’d have no CSI, no Law and Order, no 24, and very possibly we’d never have seen Don Johnson starring in Miami Vice in the 1980’s. Okay the last one probably isn’t a huge loss, but the modern police force and investigation techniques are the work of one outstanding man: Sir Robert Peel

Sir Robert Peel

With a diverse background and a myriad of interests this man is the founder of the Metropolitan police Force and Prime Minister of England bringing about great social reforms in working conditions, industry and prisons. Born in 1788, this great Londoner has had a far reaching effect on the modern police force across the globe, as well as being active in politics and social reform until his death in 1850. A statue stands in Parliament Square right outside the Palace of Westminster.

Peel helped create the modern police force and to this day, London uniformed police officers are known as “Bobbies” as a tribute to Sir Robert. The other less affectionate term is “Peelers”, but unless you’re on the other side of the law, you’ll only ever see them as Bobbies on the Beat, patrolling the streets of London in their unique uniform and proudly acting as ambassadors for their city and their country.

One of the most important aspects of the police reform that Sir Robert placed into action concerned the ethics of behavior and investigation. This was the forerunner of the exacting standards in forensic investigation that have to be used before a person can be arrested of a crime. “The police are the public and the public are the police”, Sir Robert was fond of saying.

As a politician, Sir Robert Peel is most famous for his Factory Act. This Act of Parliament cam down strongly against wealthy industrialists who had made their fortunes on the backs of children and sweat shops. The Act regulated the amount of hours that children could work, and introduced the first basic machinery safety standards. In his second term in office as Prime Minister, he repealed the Corn Laws which protected the landowners by restricting foreign imports. Despite knowing that it could bring about the end of his political career, Peel forged ahead and broke the monopoly that had been one of the causes of the Irish Famine.

To be a police officer during the time of Sir Robert was an exacting position and required you to wear your uniform both on and off duty. London police were equipped with a wooden baton, a pair of handcuffs and a wooden rattle to raise an alarm if need be. The rattle was later replaced by a whistle.

To this day, uniformed police officers are not armed in the United Kingdom, which is a testament to the respect that many people have for the police force. His legacy will remain for as long as there are Bobbies on the beat, fighting crime and helping you back to your new apartment after you’ve lost your way. Go on I dare you, just ask a Bobby for directions and you’ll see how friendly and professional they are.

 

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Living in London – Talk like a Proper Londoner

Friday June 10th, 2011

Many Americans moving to London are a bit baffled by the change in terms and names for things you’ve grown accustomed to in your homeland. Perfect examples are pavement to sidewalk, chips to fries and petrol to gas. It’s the kind of thing that could more than likely save you some confusion in day to day life here in London city. Asking for jelly on your sandwich may very result in you getting a large blob of wobbliness quivering between two slices of bread. Ask for jam instead.

Also, don’t worry that you’re being slightly un-PC should you ask for a dummy; that’s what they call a pacifier in these parts. Likewise, asking for a banger won’t result in a large man walking up to your table pounding his fist into his palm threateningly. Bangers are to England as sausages are to America. It’s one half of that famous national dish, bangers and mash (that’s Mashed Potatoes)

Heading to the Emirates Stadium or Stamford Bridge to take in a match? Then whatever you do, don’t call it soccer. It might make you grate your teeth if you’re a devoted NFL fan, but in England, twenty two guys gathered on a field to kick a ball around is officially known as Football. Calling it soccer could risk some rude comments from the ‘footie’ fans.

To become a true Londoner, try using the more particularly English terms, the slang if you will. If anything, learn these terms largely because of the pleasure you’ll take when you see the surprise on your English friends’ faces when they hear you throwing around the local slang.

Here then, for your edification:

It’s not a telephone, it’s called the blower.

Underwear? “Alan Whickers”, Cockney rhyming slang for knickers. Often shortened to Alans. As in, “Keep your Alan’s on!”, the English equivalent of “Don’t lose your shorts.”

Another bit of Cockney rhyming slang is Ayrton. As in Ayrton Senna. He was a world famous Formula 1 racing driver. It rhymes with tenna for Ten pounds.

Bollocks, which essentially applies to anything which can be called rubbish, drivel or nonsense. Used effectively and in the proper situation this should go some way to showing off the burgeoning Anglophile that you are. Not to be confused with ‘dogs bollocks’ though which applies to anything cool and inarguably awesome!

There you have it. There’s lots more than that, but living in London and spending enough time with the locals, you’ll be throwing around London talk with the best of them in no time.

 

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Living in London – Art Underground

Friday June 10th, 2011

If you’re moving to London, it may surprise you to find out that the London Underground is not a political movement (thanks to ‘A Fish called Wanda’ for that one). What it is, is a very convenient way of making your way around the city. The London Underground (just call it the Tube or the Underground like everyone else), is the second longest metro system in the world, it has about 402 kilometres of railway track and is used by about 3 million people every day.

The Underground serves the area of Greater London, covering everywhere from Aldgate East to Highstreet Kensington, as well as from Elephant and Castle all the way over to Regents Park and Great Portland Street. It’s a nice thing not to have to be the one making the effort with the transport, what with driving around and fighting through traffic and then having to find parking. Better to buy a ticket, catch the train and take a seat while the train carries you to your destination. You’ll only have to fork over a few pounds versus all the hassle of driving, petrol costs, the congestion and then having to pay for parking as well.

And it’s not as if you’ll be bored waiting for a train to arrive. If you don’t have a book about yourself, or your phone to surf the web, the Underground has projects like ‘Arts on the Underground’ and ‘Poems on the Underground’ to keep you entertained. Featuring the diverse art of high school students, abstract art, sculpture and pencil portraits of Jubilee line staff, you’ll spend more time looking at the scattered art throughout the Underground than you will looking at the watch on your wrist.

It’s a given that security will be a concern, but thankfully, there’s a constant police presence. The Underground works hand in hand with the Police so crime shouldn’t be a worry. That said, keep your wits about yourself and if you use the tube at night, make sure you’re with other people.

 

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Living in London – Wimbledon

Thursday June 9th, 2011

June is here and if you’re here that means one thing: Wimbledon. The comfortable sound of racket meeting ball, crowds ‘ooh’-ing and ‘aah’-ing at every desperately won point, champagne and strawberries with cream, and all the drama that comes with a day’s play at centre court. There’s nothing quite like it.

The qualifying rounds take place from the 13th to the 16th of June, with the Championships starting on the 20th of June and finishing on the 3rd of July with the Men’s Final. If you’re a tennis enthusiast, you’ll no doubt want to take advantage of living in London and having the tournament just on your doorstep (relatively speaking).  A few things to consider, though:

First of all, there’s not much point in going if you don’t have a seat. Not to worry. Just head on over to the Official Wimbledon site,  and you’ll find whatever help you need to go about getting your hands on tickets. You might want to hurry, though, as this is Wimbledon we’re talking about, quite possibly the most anticipated two months in the Professional Tennis Diary, and calling it popular is a bit of an understatement. If you’d like, you can partake in a fun Wimbledon tradition: camping for tickets. It’s a relatively simple exercise: get a few friends, a flask of hot coffee and your sleeping bag and wait outside the Gate 3 turnstiles along with everyone else. Even if you don’t get your hands on tickets, you’ll still have a fun time and if you’re new to living in London, you’ll more than likely make a few new acquaintances.

Next up; getting there. The Wimbledon site very wisely advises using Public Transport wherever possible, and with the options you’ll find living in London, this shouldn’t pose a challenge. Go to your nearest public train station, take a train to Waterloo and from there you can catch a train to Wimbledon station. Alternatively, you’ll find trams running every ten to fifteen minutes at East Croydon Station to Wimbledon Station during weekdays (Monday to Saturday) and every thirty minutes on Sundays. Couldn’t be easier.

As for the Strawberries and Cream; give them a try as they really are quite delicious and law decrees that if you’re at Wimbledon, you are ordered to partake in them, by order of the Queen!

 

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Living in London – Education: It All Comes Out In the Wash!

Thursday June 9th, 2011

If you are an American moving to London and your family is going to be joining you on your adventure then part of your planning is going to be education. Your choice of education for your children will affect which neighborhood of London you choose to live in. The schooling system in England is divided into districts. You are not allowed to attend a school in another zone or area if you do not live in that area. Notable exceptions are the public schools. (Remember that private schools are known as public schools in England!)

It you have teens that are nearing college age, and are planning on going to college in the States or Canada, then you may find it more beneficial to place your child at a private school that follows a standardized American curriculum. If you have younger children though, then they will benefit from being in an English school where they can meet other children and form friendships within their peer groups.

While there are a number of differences between the system of education in England and America, you’ll find that the similarities are more marked. It said that the English system offers a wider view on the world, and certainly the curriculum is not as narrow as many found in America. There is also a greater degree of specialization when children move into the higher grades at high school.

For the last two years before university a scholar will focus on three main areas of study – A-Levels and will be expected to show a high level of competency in each subject in order to pass. That said, it is also true that the system of education may be more geared towards life skills in Americans schools. Drivers-Ed classes are not taught in English schools!

English schools also tend to use external examinations far more often to achieve the standard of education need to pass a particular grade. In Year 9, this is Grade 8 if you follow the American schooling system, there is a formal examination that is marked externally to ensure that standards are being met across the country.

If you’re moving with your family, you’re about to embark on a huge adventure and giving your children the chance to experience a different type of education is possibly the best global experience you can give them.

 

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Living in London – Kitting out Your London Flat

Tuesday June 7th, 2011

Living in London, are you? Stands to reason that you must have a London flat or an apartment of some sort. If you’re going to be living in London for a few years then you don’t just want a place to live in and come back to after touring the sights of London. A flat isn’t just a flat. It’s meant to be a home. A place where you can put your feet up, laze around and have friends and family over for a party. Smartening up your place with all that makes it worth living in, goes some way to making it feel like your home.

Let’s consider what you plan on doing in your London flat. Sitting around doing nothing or reading a book means having something to sit on. Don’t just go the IKEA route like so many others have. Hunt around for the wealth of stores selling furniture dotted all over the city. Islington’s Twentytwentyone and Aria should do you quite nicely for a comfy setup in your lounge, and you really do want it to be as comfortable as possible for those blisteringly cold winter nights. I know from personal experience that there is nothing quite as pleasurable as sitting snugly in the comfort of my sofa (with or without someone) while a flurry of snow lashes the double glazing. If you’re a bookworm, a bookshelf can also help give your place a homely feel , instead of having mini stacks of books scattered all over your London flat. Remember that not many flats have fitted cupboards, so you’ll want to invest in some wardrobes and closets as soon as you move in.

Of course, sometimes you really do want a bit noise in your place, some music or from the TV (get used to calling it the telly if you want to be a true Londoner). As any real Londoner should know, the best place to get electronic equipment to kit out your place is Tottenham Road. Conveniently, for the purposes of furnishing your home, Tottenham Road is divided into two parts; the Southern half at Oxford Street has any number of stores selling electronics, and the Northern half at the Warren Street side has a variety of stores devoted to home furnishing.

Remember, you’re living here. It’s not just your Flat. You want it to be your home.

 

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Living in London – Off the Beaten Path

Tuesday June 7th, 2011

I think it’s safe to say that after living in London for some time, you’d be quite familiar with the famous tourist attractions that the city has to offer. Piccadilly Circus, Trafalgar Square, Buckingham Palace and Regent’s Park will leave you feeling a bit ho hum after a while, particularly if you’re the kind with your very own London flat. Worry no more, for there is more to London than these admittedly worthy attractions. Swing on over to Islington, which is a fun and vibrant mix of bars, restaurants and boutiques, and where you’ll find all and any kind of food and beverage. There’s also Brick Lane, which has reformed itself from the grim and downtrodden character which coloured its past for so long. The area has become renowned for its curry restaurants, a tasty reflection of the area’s influx of immigrants from the east. Over in Neasden, tucked away amongst the factories and the warehouses, is the world’s second largest Hindu temple. Complete with elaborate designs worked into its walls it seems dream-like given its industrial home.

And if the temple’s serene interiors haven’t left you as relaxed as you’d hoped, head on over to Queensway, where you’ll find Porchester Spa, a spa complete with Russian Steam Rooms, a Finnish sauna cabin and Turkish Hot Rooms. And if you don’t mind throwing out a bit more, you can even get a massage to help work out your worries. For something even more clandestine, plot a course for Chelsea’s 606 Club, a restaurant cum Jazz venue. The door won’t exactly scream for your attention , so do make sure you’ve got the right place (90 Lots Road SW10 0QD). With good food, fine wine and a top notch selection of the finest jazz London has to offer, 606 may be a secret, but with what it has to offer, it won’t stay that way for long. And if you must know everything there is to know about the city’s history, head on over to the tastefully monikered Farting Alley for a history lesson in how 19thCentury London lit its gas lamps. For anyone living in London, there’s nothing quite like going off the beaten path while all the tourists fight for space on London Bridge and crowd Westminster Abbey.

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